


The General Store

by Michael_Ackart



Series: The Vault Dweller [1]
Category: Fallout 1
Genre: Canon Divergence, M/M, very brief mention of sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-21 17:17:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14919578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Michael_Ackart/pseuds/Michael_Ackart
Summary: The military base and the cathedral are gone. It's time to return to Vault 13, time to return to his former life. But Devon's not sure he wants that. So he takes his time wandering back north, and his wandering takes him back to a familiar general store





	The General Store

**Author's Note:**

> You can follow me at **fairtomato.twitter.com**

He isn’t sure how long he stays in the Boneyard for. Devon watched from a distance as the cathedral blew up. Most of the people were brainwashed but maybe not all. Most of the super mutants were violent but maybe not all were bad.

Maybe he could’ve saved some of them.

A few people stumbled out behind him, just saw a person running and followed. He’s always had a bit of a silver tongue, the life of every vault party--though that admittedly isn’t saying much. But convincing the Master to detonate the place without a fight definitely tops things. Just the sight of him made Devon’s stomach churn. The way it played out is for the best. The mutants destroyed Necropolis before he could do anything. They destroyed caravans. They would’ve destroyed so much more.

Nobody in Adytum knows he was responsible for the cathedral. Nobody but Razor. She’s trustworthy in Devon’s eyes, he considers her a friend. She doesn’t believe him at first, thinks he’s joking, but later on she says the look in his eye told her he was telling the truth. He’s not sure what looks different about him.

A few survivors eventually drift north and the Blades take care of them. That’s when he decides to drift away too. He tells Razor bye, not knowing if he’ll ever see her again, and heads north too. But he’s going way north. The vault is his ultimate destination but he stays a couple days in the Hub. He finds the Thieves’ Guild’s hideout and hits up Loxley--not for a job this time but for a quick rough fuck. Devon’s not sure if the accent is grating or not, but when he’s pinned on his stomach with Loxley growling in his ear he can’t deny how heated he gets.

The next day, as he walks downtown for supplies, he thinks about Decker and the brawl with the police. Decker himself was a flimsy fuck but Kane packed quite the punch. His face was definitely bruised after that fight.

He left the vault more than half a year ago. It’s been eight months and so much has happened in that short amount of time. It makes the first twenty-five years of his life look pitifully boring--and safe--in comparison. When he went back with the water chip, the next mission wasn’t on his mind. He didn’t think about how people would react, how curious they’d be about the surface. He spent a week at home, answering everything that came his way. He likes talking, likes attention, missed his friends. But leaving a second time didn’t scare him or worry him or upset him like the first time.

Now that the Master and the military base are gone, what does that mean for Devon? He has to return to the vault and tell the overseer the super mutant threat is taken care of. But then what? Does he just return to vault life and just forget about the people he’s met and the things he’s seen? The thought of living in the vault the remainder of his life fills him with dread. A year ago, that was his perfectly accepted fate. Now he’s seen too much. The surface has a lot of issues but he doesn’t want to go back to the vault and pretend everything’s okay. He has friends and family in Vault 13. How will he tell them the truth? What if the overseer forbids him from leaving the vault a third time?

Devon’s next stop on the slow trip home is Junktown. It may not be too much to look at, but it’s a certain resident who’s captured his attention. Killian Darkwater was a friendly face when he really needed one. Vault 15 led nowhere and he’d nearly died clearing out the radscorpion cave for Shady Sands. Course there was that messy business with Gizmo but...they both survived.

Coming out into the wasteland _alone_ was overwhelming. So many times he wanted to just give up and die, sometimes he wondered if Jacoren wanted him to die. After all, just look what happened to Ed and Talius. He doesn’t blame Talius for giving up and abandoning his quest. He’s wanted to follow the same path numerous times.

Devon greets the guard at the entrance, relieved he’s made it in before they lock up for the night and that they don't mistake him in his power armor as an intimidating presence. He walks through the dusty streets, an urchin begs so he gives him a few bottle caps. Will Killian be surprised to see him? Will he care? Devon swears there was a spark between them. He couldn’t be the only one who felt it, could he?

Hooking up in the vault was easy. He and his best friend slept together often and many other guys knew he was the person to go to for ‘casual fun.’ But Killian feels so much more than casual. He briefly entertains the idea of them going to the vault together--then laughs. That will never happen, Killian wouldn’t abandon this town. Devon doesn’t want him to.

The door to the general store is still open. He ditches his metal suit and walks right in.

“Evening, how can I...” Surprise is the correct emotion.

“Hey, stranger,” Devon greets. He takes a look around, they’re alone.

“Hey, Vault Dweller.” He strides forward and within a few short moments, they’re kissing for the first time in ages. “Devon,” he whispers against his lips. Devon can’t possibly be the only one whose stomach is fluttering right now. A hand cups his cheek.

“There is...a lot to tell you. I don’t think you’ll believe me.”

“Hmm, sounds serious. Let me lock up here and we’ll go to the back. Are you hungry? Should we stop for food first?”

“I’m okay. I ate a box of Fancy Lads on the way up here. Let me get my power armor.”

Killian looks slightly concerned but doesn’t push it. Devon was well fed in the vault. On the surface, he’s learned to survive on scraps.

“How have things been around here?”

“Good,” Killian answers, locking the front entrance behind him. “The casino has a new owner, more respectable than the previous one, it’s...doing really well. We get a lot more traffic now.”

“I’m glad.” They head through the back and Killian tells Devon to ditch his power armor in one of the spare rooms. He’s still amazed none of the mutants noticed he was wearing it under his robes. But then a lot of things have amazed him this year.

Devon goes to the bedroom when he's done. He already knows the layout, he’s no stranger to the living room, kitchen, or this room. He’s a sweaty mess but telling Killian his tale is his priority. A shower can come later.

There’s so much to say and Devon feels like he’s talking forever. Blowing up a military base, dealing with something like the Master? Who would believe that? But Killian is sliding a hand over his and is Devon shaking?

“Are you okay?”

He almost laughs. Okay? Is he okay? He has to think about the answer. “I...think so. I have bad dreams sometimes but that’s been happening for a while.”

“What are your dreams about?”

He shrugs. “A lot of time they don't make sense but usually deathclaws chasing me. Or the overseer turning into a super mutant. I’m probably...the Master was...” His eyes are on the ground, a frown on his face.

“What was he?” Killian asks quietly.

“Terrifying. Can we lay down for a bit?” He’s starting to feel a bit lightheaded, it’s probably stress. He’s familiar with Killian’s bed, knows it’s definitely large enough for the both of them. It doesn’t take long for them to change locations. Being in Killian’s arms helps. He’s able to go into detail about the Master and the cathedral. “I feel guilty about it.”

“You weren’t the one who blew the place up. He did and you barely had time to escape. There was no time. What you did is going to save many, many lives.”

“Yeah, I know...I just wish I could’ve saved more. But the people there...they were...brainwashed. I wore the robes right over my power armor and no one even noticed. I had to ditch my helmet though.”

“Can you get it replaced?”

“Probably not. I think I’d have to go back to the Brotherhood and I don’t really want to do that. I’m not sure what to make of them. I don’t think they’re bad but I don’t want to live in that bunker and take orders from everyone.”

“Isn’t that sort of like the vault?”

“Yeah. More intense though. Not a lot of combat training goes on in the vault. And instead of armor, we get those blue suits.”

“I remember the first time you strolled in here with one on. What are you...uh, when are you leaving to the vault?”

“A few days I think. I’ve been gone for months, an extra week or so won’t matter.”

“And then what?”

Is Killian’s tone different now? Is Devon just imagining it? “I got the water chip, fixed the super mutant crisis. Once I go back, I’ll have no reason to leave again.”

“None?”

Killian’s voice is definitely quieter now. “No reason in the overseer’s eyes. Vault 13 isn’t a hotel, you can’t just wander in to sleep for the night and leave in the morning.”

“So...this is it then.”

His hand brushes Killian’s hip. “I don’t want this to be it,” he admits. There’s a reason he’s not rushing back to the vault. “For almost my whole life, the vault’s been my only home. It’s safe, I don’t have to fight for food, do questionable things for a handful of bottle caps. It’s a much easier life, one that I know a lot of people on the surface would literally kill for. But too much has happened. I’m a different person now. I’ve seen a lot of bad but a lot of good too. I don’t want to leave it behind. I’ll miss my grandma and friends but I...I don’t think I can return to living in the vault.”

“That means...”

“I want to stay on the surface. That’s why it’s taken me so long to travel north. At first I told myself it was just to see everything one last time but that’s just not true. I’m terrified what the vault will think. Jacoren won’t be happy I’m sure. Saying goodbye will be hard. But I think this is what I want.”

“Where will you go?”

His heart thuds. He hoped Killian would offer, maybe he’s put too much meaning into the nights they’ve spent together.

“After all you’ve been through, I dunno if Junktown’s exciting enough for you. But...you have a home here if you want it.”

“In Junktown or...”

“Here. If you want. I don’t want you to feel pressured-” And now Killian sounds a bit tongue-tied and nervous, and it’d be kind of amusing to Devon if his heart wasn’t still pounding.

“I’d like that.” He could choose to live in the Hub or Boneyard, or even just the Crash House. But living with Killian, that’s what he wants. It’ll be an adjustment for both of them, and maybe it’ll end up not working out, but Devon wants to try. Leaving the vault...is what he wants. But the thought of saying goodbye to his fellow vault dwellers fills him with sadness.

Sometimes he still resents being chosen to save the vault. His life would’ve been so much easier, boring, and he would’ve been okay with that. It’s not fair that he’s gone through hell, nearly lost his life a thousand different times. Why does he have to make this impossible decision on top of all that?

He feels like crying but the tears won’t come. Maybe Killian can sense it and that’s why he holds him a little tighter. He still wants to stay a few days and not just leave in the morning. Just in case he never sees Killian again...

He kisses Killian and gets kissed back. He rolls over and Killian spreads his legs for Devon to fit between them. But when hands fumble to unzip his pants, Devon pulls back.

“Heh, I need a shower first. I’m all sweaty and gross.” He cups Killian's cheek and places a kiss on his forehead.

Devon’s scared. He’s been scared since Jacoren first told him he had to leave the vault to find water so that they wouldn’t have to abandon it. The wasteland is harsh and he knows many of them wouldn’t be able to survive out here. Despite all their questions the last time, they’ll probably never quite comprehend just what exactly he spared them from.

He’s fought feral ghouls, bloodthirsty raiders, and fucking deathclaws. Surely this farewell to the vault won’t be as difficult. But Devon knows it absolutely will be harder than all of that.


End file.
